Talon chapter 5

A.N: Apparently I posted chapter 4 twice, sorry about that, I deleted the second one. Here's chapter 5. Enjoy.

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Chapter 5 - Failed flirting

"You're getting better," Slade hummed just before he blocked Harry's bo staff with his own staff. The pair were currently sparring in one of the many training rooms in the building. They were both standing on top of training mats in the centre of the room. The walls of the room were all filled with weapon racks and pictures of Ra's Al Ghul.

"You'd be pretty useless if I wasn't," Harry replied, dodging Slade's attack and returning fire with two of his own, which Slade blocked with ease. Slade took a step back and swung the staff at Harry's feet. Harry leapt over the attack and slammed one end of the staff down onto the ground and used it to spin himself into a dropkick aimed at Slade's chest. Slade blocked the kick with his forearms and pushed Harry away. Still having hold of his staff, Harry was easily able to transition into a backflip and landed on his feet, raising his staff up in time to block Slade's follow-up attack.

"Not bad," Slade smirked in an amused manner as he disengaged and took a step back. "If you weighed a little more than that kick might have actually had some impact to it." He said before swinging his staff downwards in a slightly exaggerated swing, Harry dodged to the side while swinging his own staff at Slade's head. Slade simply tilted his head back a couple of inches, and the end of the staff missed him completely. Harry quickly recovered and thrust the weapon at Slade's chest, only for him to deflect it to the side with a simple slap before he reached out and grabbed it. "Pro trick to remember, kid," Slade said, letting go of the weapon. "Whenever something, a weapon or even a fist, is coming at you in a straight line, it's weak from the side since you're opponent's focus is on going forward. Meaning they won't brace for an impact from the side."

"From the side," Harry whispered to himself. "Got it," He told Slade.

"Good," Slade said approvingly as he looked down at the boy.

The child had grown in leaps and bounds, far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary boy for his age. Of course, Slade was still holding back in their training sessions; the goal was to train him, not kill him. But even then, far better any person his age had a right to be. Not for the first time, Slade cursed the fact that the boy wasn't his own child. The closest he had ever got to becoming a father had been a one-night stand years ago that had ended with the girl and the baby dying during childbirth. He often wondered what his child would have been like if it had managed to grow up. Would the child be strong like himself or just another weakling in a world full of them? Slade had often dreamed of a child like the one in front of him. Hell, he would have happily killed to have a child like the one in front of him.

Not only was the child everything he ever wanted in his own son, but he was also the son of the woman that Slade had wanted ever since he set foot in this place. He wasn't stupid enough to believe in love at first sight like so many other idiots, but he had no problem believing that Talia was definitely one of the most attractive women he had ever seen in his life. Not only that, she was strong, capable and deadly. The type of woman he didn't have to worry about, the kind that wouldn't be a liability to him. And if that wasn't enough, then her father was THE Ra's Al Ghul, 'The Head of The Demon'. Marrying into the family would afford him countless benefits, a couple of years with the League of Shadows at his command, and he'd be set for life. Alas, it was not meant to be.

Because of the Batman.

Talia had fallen for him, a vigilante in the worst city in the world, an imbecile who for some reason believed that he could save it. At best, he could probably make it mildly better. But no, Talia had fallen for him, and if that wasn't bad enough, then she had also had her child with the Batman as well. Deathstroke knew that Ra's wanted Batman to be his heir, something that made Slade's blood boil. Slade had proved his loyalty and capabilities many times over the years; he had advanced through the league in record time, and he knew for certain the Ra's had been considering him to marry his daughter before she had met the Bat. Now, Ra's was glossing over him for a costumed nutjob in a city that the whole league had near-unanimously agreed would be better off being burnt to ashes and restarted from the ground up.

"Son," A voice called as Talia walked into the room, dressed in her favourite black bodysuit. "It's time for your next lesson," She called. Slade turned to look at her, absently tossing his staff to Harry.

"Mother," Harry nodded respectfully before putting his and Slade's staffs away.

"Junior, run along," Slade told him as he walked up to Talia. "I need to talk with your mother for a bit." Harry frowned and stared questioningly at Talia. She gave Slade a thoughtful look before nodding to Harry.

"Your sensei won't appreciate it if you're late, Hadrian," She told him while gesturing for him to leave.

"If you're sure," Harry said, looking between the two for a moment before leaving the room.

"Now, what exactly is it that you want, Mr Wilson?" Talia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Please," Slade snorted, amusedly. "We've known each other for years, and I'm still just 'Mr Wilson'?" He asked. In response, she simply kept staring at him, "Fine, to business then. Your son is amazing. I don't claim to have much experience with brats his age, but that kid is so obviously far beyond them."

"Your ability to state the obvious had been noted, Mr Wilson," Talia replied. "I'm assuming that there's a point to this."

"Do you know what you have?" Slade asked. "That child is a goldmine of potential and possibilities. But right now, he's being held back from his true potential. He has his mother, yes, and his grandfather, of course. Though we both know that he's not the most nurturing individual. The boy needs his father."

"And he'll meet him when the time is right," Talia said easily.

"I said he needs a father, not a 'sperm donor'," Slade replied, stepping even closer to her. "He needs a real man in his life. One that's happy to teach him how the world works, one that can make him the strongest version of himself. Me."

"Father has already chosen my husband for me; he chose the same man I had chosen," She said coldly.

"The same guy who won't give you the light of day because he's too busy waging an impossible, one-man war against the worst shit-hole in the world," Slade asked lightly. "Because that's not the type of guy who deserves a girl like you. I can give you all he can give you and then some. The two of us together could rule the world."

"You don't deserve the power that my beloved does," Talia sniffed before turning around, ready to walk away, only to stop when Slade had grabbed her by the wrist. "I've killed men for less," She warned, turning back to face.

"Oh, I'm sure you have," Slade purred. "But I'm not one of those losers, Princess. I am you're father's best fighter, and you know it. Why deny what you want? If not for your own sake, then at least recognise the benefit it will have for your son." He said, ready to say more when Talia slipped her wrist out of his grip and kicked him in the stomach, pushing him a few feet back.

"You are playing a very dangerous game, Wilson." She said, glaring at him.

"Oh, I don't play," He grinned before rushing forward and sending a punch at Talia, who dodged under it whilst grabbing his arm. She flipped him over her shoulders, he recovered in mid-air easily and landed on his feet before pushing her back with a kick, she landed on her back on the training mats. "Still want to play?" He asked just before she kipped to her feet.

He rushed forward and jumped in the air, throwing two consecutive kicks at her. She blocked the first and dodged the second, ending up behind him as he landed. He grunted as he felt himself get kneed in the side. He responded by throwing an elbow at her face. She ducked under it, but he quickly pulled the same arm back and hit her with a clothesline that knocked her to the floor. Her legs instantly wrapped around his own, and he was sent onto his back. He quickly kipped back up to his feet, only to be met with a knee to the face that caused him to stumble back. She followed up by jumping in the air, a kick hit his left shoulder, before she spun off of that kick and hit him with a back-kick to the chest, before landing on her feet and following up with a kick to the outside of his right thee.

Slade grunted as he stepped back. Talia followed with a roundhouse kick aimed at the back of his head. He rolled forward, avoiding the kick and pushed himself onto his hands before kicking backwards with both feet, knocking her off her feet. He got to his feet before she did and threw a kick at her side. She managed to get her hands up in time to block it, grabbing onto his leg before he could pull it back and then tackling him to the ground. He threw her off and rolled to his knees just as she did the same. He lunged for her, throwing a punch at her face. She moved her head to the side, his fist just grazing the side of her cheek. He saw her swing her arm; he leaned back, avoiding what looked to be a sloppy punch.

Once he was a small distance away, he stopped as he realised something, she had a knife in her hand. After briefly wondering just where exactly she had hidden that knife, he felt a stinging sensation on his face. Touching his right cheek, he pulled his hand back and saw blood on his fingers, realising that she had managed to cut him.

"Clever," He said with a small growl. He rushed to the nearest wall, grabbed the closest sword he could find. He picked it up just as a whooshing sound was heard; he reacted quickly and used the sword to swat away a trio of throwing stars that had been heading his way. "Boy," He said when he spotted Harry standing next to his mother, a trio of throwing stars in each hand. "Don't be stupid."

"You're messing with my mother, you tosspot. I'm going to be stupid," Harry said in a 'that's so obvious' type of voice.

"This is why I've been saying he needs a father's touch," Slade told Talia. "Clearly, he's lacking the proper discipline. Don't worry, it's fairly easy to install in one so young."

"Touch him and I'll end your miserable existence!" Snarled Talia.

"What is the meaning of this?!" A voice boomed. Every pair of eyes snapped to the entrance of the room, where they saw Ra's Al Ghul standing with Nyssa at his side and a trio of his soldiers behind him.

"Grandfather," Harry said at once before gesturing to Slade. "He called you a 'Cotton-headed ninny-muggins'!" Harry said at once, shocking both Slade and Talia.

"He called me what?" Ra's asked slowly as if unsure that he heard right.

"A 'Cotton-headed ninny-muggins'," Harry repeated. "Oh, and he was attacking mother." He added as an afterthought.

"The boy is lying," Slade said immediately.

"Oh?" Nyssa said as she walked over to Talia and pointed at a bruise on her face. "So sure, are you?"

"You've been tasked with trying to find a rebellion in the league; instead, you are here wasting your time attacking my favourite daughter." Ra's said, sending a cold glare to Slade. Harry felt more than a little bit annoyed at how casually his grandfather would say that in front of his aunt, though she didn't appear to be too bothered by it. Perhaps because she had simply become too used to hearing it, or possibly just because it was simply added fuel to the inner fire that was pushing her to lead her rebellion in the first place.

"That's an interesting point, Father," Nyssa spoke up. "Slade is in charge of finding the rebellion, and yet he's not found a thing after such a long time."

"Mr Wilson has expressed his disappointment in you not choosing him as your heir." Talia revealed to her father while sending a glare to Slade. "Perhaps that's why there is a rebellion in the first place. It would certainly explain why he's not been able to find the leader. Perhaps he is the leader."

"Shit," Slade said under his breath.

"Grandfather," Harry said, having walked over to Ra's. He had gently pulled on the man's clothes so that he would look down at him. Harry pointed at Slade. "He said your breath stinks," Harry added.